Plaiting attachment for sewing-machines



(No Model.) l Sheetais-#Sheely' l'.

, .J.-D0UGLAS PLAITING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES. I

No. 488,547. Paten-.wd Deo. 2.7, 1,8912.)

@NJ/ENIGE; yp BY -ATTORNEY 2 Sheets- Sheet 2.

' (No Model.) 1 Y L J. DOUGLAS-- PLAITING ATTACHMENT POR SEWING MAGHINES. No. 488,547. Paten'td Dec. 27,1892.V T

WI T NESSES @fl/ENTO' l ATTORNEY:I I

UNTTED STATES PATENT Thron@ JOHN DOUGLAS, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE SINGER MANUFACTURING COMPANY OF NEW JERSEY.

PLAITING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 488,547, dated December 27, 1892.

Application led October '7, 1892.

.inthe county of Unionrand State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Plaiting Attachments for Sew-` ing-Machines, of which the following is a speciiication, reference-being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to that class of devices which are adapted to form tucks or plaits in cloth and to guide the same to the stitch forming mechanisms of sewing machines so that said tucks or plaits may be properly stitched; and my invention has for its object to provide a plaiting device by means of which two tucks or plaits, which are formed so as to lie in the same direction, may be simultaneously made and guided to the stitch-forming mechanism of a two-needle sewing machine, as well as to provide means whereby the presser-foot of the machine may be lifted and the plaiting blades be, at the same operation, moved aside for the insertion or removal of the work.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a sewing machine with my invention applied thereto, and Fig. 2 is a front end view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail View showing part of the connections between the presser lifter plaiting-blade carrying lever.

A denotes the arm and B the work-plate of a sewing machine which, in its general construction, may be of any Well-known type.

To the rear side of the horizontal part of the arm B is pivoted a presser-foot lifting lever O, the forward end of which hooks beneath the upper end of an arm or bracket d attached to the presser bar D, to the lower end of which latter is secured the presser foot d.

To the rear end of thelever O is attached a rod cwhichextends down through the workplate of the machine and which is to be connected with any suitable foot or knee-operated device (which may be of any of the forms now in use) so that, without the use of the hands, the operatormay lift the presser-foot.

E is the needle-bar, herein shown as carryserai No. 448.135. (No model ing two needles e for forming two rows of stitches, any well-known forms of -shuttles or loopers co-operating with these needles.

Attached to the work-plate B is a guide to co-operate with the plaiting blades and consisting, as herein shown, of two guiding portions or blocks h and h', the inner or guiding faces of which are in different vertical 'planes and are both faced in the same direction, and two blades h2 and b3, and alsov both facing or extending in the same direction and Jthe latter of which extends inward beyond and thus overlaps the former, so that their inner or working edges are also in dilferent vertical planes.

Pivoted to the forwarddepending part of the arm A is a lever F, herein shown as being provided with two plaiting blades f and f',

both facing or extending in the same direction, the former being above and extending outward beyond or over-lapping the latter, these plaiting blades interrneshing with the blades b2 and h3 of the stationary guide, are shown clearly in Fig. l, when the parts are in their operative positions, theirout-er or working edges being in different vertical planes.

'The levar F is provided with a stopscrew]02 which inlpinges against an abutment or bracket a secured to the forward part of the arm A, said stop being normally held in contact 'with said abutment by the spring af which, as herein shown, is connected to a second lever F intermeshing atits upper end with the lever F, as in the plaiting` device covered by United States Patent No. l8O,26O; said lever F being also provided with a stop-screw f3. If, instead of forming two plaits folded in the same direction, it be desired to simultaneously form two plaits folded in opposite directions the levers F and F will carry two oppositely arranged plaiting blades, as shown in the said patent; and it will be obvious that the mechanism presently to be described for moving the plaiting blades aside when the work is to be inserted, may be used in connection with the arrangement of plaiting blades shown in said patent as well as with the arrangement of plaiting blades herein shown.

J ournaled in the bracket A attached to the lower depending part of the arm A is a roekshaft H the rear arm hof which is connected by the link g with the forward end of the lever C, said rock-shaft having asecond arm h connected by a link t' with the lever F. The link t' is provided with a slot t" in which the screw or pin i2 carried by the arm h has free play, so as to aord a loose connection between said arm h and the link t which will permit the rock-shaft H, which is connected with the lever C, to be moved slightly without moving the plaiting blades. In other words'the slot and pin connection above-described affords such a loose connection between the presser foot lifting device and the lever orlevers which carry the plaitin g blades connected to the said lifting device that the presser foot may be raised from the work by a partial operation of the lever C, without disturbing the plaiting blades; but by a full operation of the presser-foot lifting lever C the presser-foot will first be lifted and the plaiting blades will then be swung aside for the insertion or removal of the work.

In the operation of my invention the operator, when the work is to be inserted, de-

. presses the rod c, thereby lifting the presserfoot and swinging aside the plaiting blades so that the latter will be clear of the stationary guide xed to the work-plate. The fabric vto be plaited is now laid-on the stationary guide and the rod c being released the spring a and the presser-bar depressing spring will return the parts to their normal positions shown in Figs. l and 2 of the drawings, and the machine being started the plaits formed by the plaiting blades and the the co-operating guide will be directed to the needles to be stitched down, as will be readily understood.

More than two plaiting blades carried by the lever F, with corresponding parts on the stationary co-operating guide, may be employed, if it be desired to form more than two plaits at once, this part of my invention comprising a plurality of plaiting blades movable with relation to a corresponding number of co-operating parts of a stationary guide.

Having thus described my invention I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. In a plaiting attachment for sewing machine, the combination with a movable arm or lever carrying a plurality of plaiting blades having their working edges in dierent vertical planes and facing in the same direction, of a fixed guide having a plurality of guiding faces in different vertical planes, and a plurality of guiding blades also having their working edges in different vertical planes, said faces and blades all facing in the same direction.

2. The combination with a sewing machine provided with a plurality of stitch-forming devices, of a guide having a plurality of guiding faces in dierent vertical planes and having also a plurality of guiding blades, said guiding faces and blades all facing in one direction, and the Working edges of which are also in different vertical planes, and a .plurality of plaiting blades facing in one direction and arranged to intermesh with said guiding blades, said plaiting blades also h aving their working edges in dierent vertical planes.

3. The combination with the fixed guide consisting of the guiding parts of blocksb and b having their inner or working edges 1n d1fferent vertical planes andthe guidingblades b2 and b3 also having their guiding edges in different vertical planes, said edges and blades all facing in the same direction, of the pivoted lever F carrying the plaiting blades f and both facing in one direction and normally intermeshing with the said guiding blades and also having their outer or working edges in different vertical planes.

4. In a sewing machine, the combination with a presser-bar and presser foot and alifting device therefor, of a plaiting attachment comprising swinging plaiting blades connected with thesaidliftingdevices so thatthey may be swung aside from operative position relative to said presser foot when the latter is raised by said vlifting device.

5. In a sewing machine, the combination with a presser-bar and a lifting device therefor, of a plaiting attachment comprising movable plaiting blades having a loose connection with the said lifting device, whereby, in the operation of the lifting device, the presser foot may be raised Without moving the plaiting blades, or the presser foot be raised and the plaiting blades be subsequently removed from operative position by one and the same operation of the lifting device.

6. In a sewing machine, the combination with apresser bar and a lifter therefor having connections by which it may be operated from beneath the work-plate, of a plaiting attachment comprising movable plaiting blades connected with the said lifter so that they may be removed from operative position thereby.

7. The combination with the presser bar D provided with the arm or bracket d and the presser foot d', of the lifting lever C the forward end of which engages the said arm or IOO IIO

bracket and the rear end of which lis provided with a rod c extending down beneath the work-plate of the machine, the plaiting-blade carrying-lever F, the rock-shaft II having arms h and h', the link g connecting said arm h with the lever C, and the link t' connecting the said arm h with the said lever F.

8. The combination with the presser barD provided with the arm or bracket d and the presser foot d', of the lifting lever C the forward end of which engages the said arm or bracket and the rear end of which is provided with a rod o extending down beneath the work-plate of the machine, the plaiting-blade carrying-lever F, the rock-shaft H having In testimony whereof I affix my signature in `presence of two Witnesses.

Witnesses:

J. G. GREENE, C. H. MORGAN.

JOHN DOUGLAS. 

